I interviewed Kayumova Khilola from Uzbekistan. She is an exchange student and her major is painting. She came this semester and is in third grade. This is her first time in Korea, and she said she likes Korea. She is also learning Korean. She has lectures on both Sungseo campus and Daemyung campus.


1. Why are you interested in painting and learning it in Korea?

I have had lots of interest in painting since childhood. Seven years ago, I saw a Korean movie by chance. It was a really beautiful country to me, so I wanted to study painting in Korea. One year ago, I wanted to come to Korea, but I couldn’t. Finally, I came this semester and I’m really happy.

2. What are the good and bad things in Korea?

The people are really kind. They teach me kindly what I don’t know. Also Korea is a country with a long history. For that reason, Korea has lots of old buildings. I really envy this point. Furthermore, Korean food is really great. I don’t have a problem in Korea. Sometimes, I can’t understand the meaning of signs because I don’t know Korean words.

3. Is there any problem in Korean lectures? How did you do in your test?

On Sungseo campus, I have lectures in English, but on Daemyung campus, I have lectures in Korean. I can’t understand the Korean lectures on Daemyung campus, but they are about drawing pictures, so I don’t have big difficulty in lectures. Sometimes, I use a dictionary and some students help me by explaining in English. In the test, my professor knows that I can’t speak Korean, so the professor helps me take an exam.

4. What do you do at weekends or in your free time?

Mostly, I listen to music or draw pictures. At weekends, I often visit other cities. I have visited Busan and Jinju. Im thinking about going to Gyeongju.

5. What is your dream and plan?

My dream is becoming a professor of painting. I will keep learning about art until graduate school. I am going back to Uzbekistan after studying in Korea this semester. In two years, I will graduate from university in Uzbekistan and go to graduate school in Korea.

6. Do you have any advice for new exchange students in Korea?

I recommend eating Korean food because its really delicious. Also, make lots of Korean friends. They will give you useful information, for example, good places in Korea or delicious restaurants. Last week, I went to Masan to see the chrysanthemum festival with my Korean friend. I also had the opportunity to wear a hanbok. The hanbok was really beautiful.